LONDON and REDMOND, Wash., Nov.
10, 2020 /CNW/ -- Microsoft and the Open Data Institute
(ODI) announced today the launch of an Education Open Data
Challenge to shine light on the relationship between broadband
access and K-12 (ages 5 to 18 years old) education outcomes. In the
wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Education Open Data Challenge
will help educators and research organizations better understand
the potential long-term impact the ongoing disruption to
traditional learning will have on the world's most vulnerable
learners.
Microsoft and the ODI are encouraging teams that wish to
participate in the challenge to help generate innovative solutions
to close the digital divide in K-12 education to go here to learn
more. The winning team will be invited to elect a non-profit
organization of their choice to receive a £50,000 award, with the
runners-up electing non-profit organizations of their choice to
receive £30,000 and £20,000 awards. The challenge is open to teams
and individuals based globally.
"As students around the world increasingly rely on technology
and connectivity to succeed in school, we must find ways to allow
every student, everywhere, to succeed. Combining datasets in new
ways can help unlock solutions to expand equitable and robust
access to broadband," said Jennifer
Yokoyama, Microsoft Vice President and Chief IP Counsel.
"We're excited to join in the launch of this Education Open Data
Challenge to help close the digital divide and level the playing
field for students around the world."
Participants will receive access to tools and resources from
Microsoft, the ODI, and BroadbandNow, as well as data made
available for the first time as part of this challenge:
- Participants will have access to a more granular version of
Microsoft's U.S. broadband usage data, this time with differential
privacy applied. Microsoft will make available documentation that
demonstrates the impact that applying differential privacy has had
on the data.
- The ODI will provide access to several eLearning modules on
Open Data Essentials, Finding Stories in Data, Guidance for data
users on data licensing and How to anonymize datasets for
participants who wish to contribute their own data, as well as
mentorship. Participants are also able to access free MS Learn
training resources and training modules.
- From BroadbandNow, participants will be able to access U.S.
broadband terrestrial provider data.
The use of privacy-preserving technologies will become more
prevalent as organizations seek to collaborate across the spectrum
of data. The datasets that will be made openly available with the
challenge will help participants to assess and understand the
effect that technologies such as differential privacy can have on
data insights and analysis.
"Organizations like Microsoft and BroadbandNow possess a wealth
of interesting data that can be used to provide insights and
support decision-makers in the education sector and beyond,
especially as they face unprecedented challenges. This Challenge
will stimulate the exploration of innovative uses for this data,
outside the boundaries of the organizations that hold it," said
Jeni Tennison, Vice President &
Chief Strategy Adviser of the ODI. "The ODI is here to help
organizations that want to ensure the data they hold brings the
most value to the sectors, communities and societies they work
in."
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted learning for more than 1.6
billion children and youth worldwide, as governments across the
globe have closed educational institutions to stop the spread of
the virus. In response, schools and teachers have made an
unprecedented effort to reach students remotely through distance
learning tools and platforms.
As the digital divide is expanded by the abrupt global
transition to remote learning, understanding how and where the
digital divide affects communities will be critical for managing
the short-term delivery of education and ensuring a sustainable,
equitable economic recovery.
"We are thrilled to participate in providing data for the Open
Data Challenge and look forward to discoveries made by the
participants," said John Busby,
Managing Director of BroadbandNow. "Access to affordable broadband
internet is crucial to education and digital equity."
Participating teams will be asked to identify gaps in digital
infrastructure that affect the delivery of education services
online, pinpoint potential impacts on learning outcomes, and
suggest innovative and realistic solutions to address these gaps in
a cost-efficient way. Some of the questions the challenge seeks to
answer include:
- How do students access remote learning, especially those who
may not have easy access to digital infrastructure (e.g.,
technology and internet connectivity)?
- What level of digital access to learning do students from
disadvantaged groups have, relative to more advantaged groups?
- What is the relationship between levels of digital skills and
learning outcomes for different demographics?
Participants will have four months to complete the challenge
from the opening date. Individuals and teams interested in
participating in the challenge can learn more and register interest
here. Once registered, individuals will be invited to attend
dedicated activities to preview the data, learn more about it from
the involved partners, and get equipped on how to best use it ahead
of the public release on December 10,
2020.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft)
enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud
and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and
every organization on the planet to achieve more.
About the Open Data Institute
The ODI was co-founded
in 2012 by the inventor of the web Sir Tim
Berners-Lee and artificial intelligence expert Sir
Nigel Shadbolt to show the value of
data, and to advocate for the innovative use of data to affect
positive change across the globe. We're an independent, non-profit,
non-partisan company headquartered in London, with an international reach. We work
with companies and governments to build an open, trustworthy data
ecosystem, where people can make better decisions using data and
manage any harmful impacts.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corporation